October 2024 Migration Advisory Committee meeting minutes
Updated 31 January 2025
Migration Advisory Committee
2nd Floor, Peel Building NE
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF
180th meeting of Migration Advisory Committee: minutes
Friday 25 October 2024, 10:00 - 12:30
Virtual conference
Attending
Professor Brian Bell
Professor Dina Kiwan
Dr Madeleine Sumption
Claire Smith
Holly White
MAC Secretariat
Apologies
Professor Jo Swaffield
Professor Sergi Pardos-Prado
Agenda Item 1 – Welcome and introductions
Brian Bell opened the meeting and introduced new Secretariat members.
Agenda Item 2 – Home Office, MAC Secretariat and MAC updates
Claire Smith gave a Home Office update on ongoing cross-government discussions surrounding the link up between the MAC, Industrial Strategy Council, DWP and Skills England. The Committee were informed about the new sponsorship system going live.
Holly White gave a progress update on resourcing in the Committee. Holly updated the Committee on the workstreams of the Secretariat, the Annual Report and the IT/engineering commission. Holly also gave a brief note to her visit to stakeholders in Northern Ireland.
Brian Bell gave an update on his recent meetings. He met with Jennifer Rubin (Home Office Chief Scientific Adviser) to discuss accessing data and data quality. He also attended an away day with the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration. He had meetings with the new clerk of the Home Affairs Select Committee and the Director of Labour Market Enforcement.
Agenda item 3 – Annual Report: Work immigration chapter
A member of the Secretariat shared a proposed draft for the work immigration chapter. The Committee gave feedback on the content included and suggested changes.
Agenda item 4 – Annual Report: Fiscal chapter
A member of the Secretariat shared analysis for the fiscal chapter of the Annual Report. The Committee discussed the methodology and assumptions.
Agenda item 5 – Family visa financial requirements: Research plans
A member of the Secretariat shared the proposed quantitative and qualitative research design, and the Committee gave feedback on the approach and topics to be covered.
Agenda item 6 – IT/engineering review: Data slides
A member of the Secretariat presented slides of the key statistics for the IT and Engineering sectors. The Committee provided views on additional data sources.
Agenda item 7 – Committee ways of working
The Committee discussed ways of working in the context of an expanded Chair role and increased Secretariat capacity.
Agenda item 8 – AOB
There was no other business.